It is well known that, to attain the best agricultural performance from a field, a farmer must cultivate the soil, typically through a tillage operation. Modern farmers perform tillage operations by pulling a tillage implement behind an agricultural work vehicle, such as a tractor. Tillage implements typically include a plurality of shank assemblies. Each shank assembly may include a shank pivotably coupled to a frame of the tillage implement and configured to penetrate the soil to a particular depth. Tillage implements may also include biasing elements, such as springs, configured to exert biasing forces on the shanks. This configuration may allow the shanks to maintain the particular depth of soil penetration as the agricultural work vehicle pulls the tillage implement through the field. Additionally, this configuration may also permit the shanks to pivot out of the way of rocks or other impediments in the soil, thereby preventing damage to the shank assemblies or other components on the implement.
Each biasing element generally exerts a specific predetermined biasing force on the shank of the corresponding shank assembly. In this respect, the shank may pivot relative to the frame when the soil or impediments therein exert forces on the shank that exceed the biasing force provided by the biasing element. However, since the biasing force provided by conventional biasing elements is not adjustable, the shank assembly is not able to accommodate changes in soil conditions, such as a change in soil type. Such changes may result in excessive pivoting or tripping of the shank or undesirable levels of penetration depth of the shank.
Accordingly, an improved shank assembly with adjustable or selectable biasing forces for use with an agricultural implement and related methods would be welcomed in the technology.